I particularly like the look of Hybrid Cluster (nice website, BTW): we aren’t big enough to need something like that yet, but (if all goes well) we will be in a couple of years…

DK

Anyway, Luke…

“Of course power is valuable, it’s what’s elevated us to the heights of technological prowess we now enjoy as a world. It’s our obligation to use it responsibly.”

Yes, I agree with that.

“A bit of a straw man argument, I sense. You’re attacking the proposition that everyone, everywhere should stop using energy, including African medical centres. But no one’s really suggesting that African medical centres should stop using power for their fridges.”

*sigh*

This shows a rather naive view of the way that the world works. For instance, the EU will not fund coal- or nuclear-fuelled power stations in Africa (let’s ;eave aside whether aid is a good thing or not). It will fund solar PV, wind turbines, etc. The trouble is that these technologies are presently not enough to generate the power required.

The fridges example was taken from a real project: the EU released funds to enable a remote African hospital to have solar panels and a wind turbine—they had enough power to keep the fridge or, or the lights. When the doctor switched on the lights, the fridge cut out.

So, no, no one is “suggesting that African medical centres should stop using power for their fridges”, the rich countries are simply stopping Africans from getting a reliable source of energy to run those same fridges.

DK